The sacrifices grandparents make

7:00 - 8 Jul 2014

Grandparents are making huge sacrifices in terms of time and finances to look after their grandchildren because of the ever escalating costs of childcare.

Nearly two million grandparents have given up a job, reduced their hours or taken time off work to look after their grandchildren according to an Ipsos MORI poll commissioned by charities Grandparents Plus, Save the Children, and The Family and Childcare Trust.

They're stepping in to pick up the slack at great personal cost. The charities say childcare must be made more affordable, and the government needs to recognise the contribution grandparents make to keeping people in work.

We chat to the CEO of Grandparents Plus, Sam Smethers, who was looked after by her grandparents when she was a child.